Valeshipping Drabbles
by Mana-Ryou
Summary: *Contains Canon/OC, DamonxJulia* A series of short stories about my character, Julia Ketchum and her relationship with Damon Grangil. Rating may go up to T in later drabbles, should the need arise.
1. Children

"Julia, have you ever thought about having children?" Julia looked up at her husband from across the table, fixing him with a perplexed stare.

"What?"

"Children. You do know what a child is, don't you?" He asked, with a cheeky grin on his features.

"Of course I do, don't be stupid," Julia chided. "What I mean is, why are you asking?" Damon sighed.

"C'mon Julia, we're getting into our thirties now. Don't you think it's about time? I mean, unless you don't want to, which I understand-"

"I take it you want children then?" Julia replied casually, taking a sip of coffee, cutting him off. "Otherwise you wouldn't ask."

"Well..." Damon considered his answer carefully before continuing. "I suppose I would, yes. Do you?" It was Julia's turn to pause and think.

In all honesty, she knew that when she married Damon that people would expect them to have children and it wasn't that she didn't want a child but... Julia just sighed and placed her mug back on the table before gazing out of the window, watching as a pair of Pidove fluttered down to feed their chicks.

"It's not that I don't want children... I just..."

"You just what? C'mon Julia, you can tell me," Damon said softly, holding her hand and giving her that appraising look. The one that made her want to tell him what was on her mind. Julia just gripped his hand.

"I'm scared that I'm not good enough to be a mother," she replied heavily. "You look at my childhood and the parenting wasn't great... Well, my father wasn't. I'm just afraid to be like him-"

"Don't say that," Damon interrupted coldly. If there was one thing Damon hated with a passion, it was when Julia compared herself to her father. "Don't talk like that; you're nothing like him and you never will be, Julia." His grip tightened considerably and Julia stared at her plate ashamedly. Damon stood and walked around the table, kneeling in front of Julia. "I won't make you have children, Julia. All I care about it you being happy and if they don't make you happy, then I won't ask."

"Okay, but there is something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Julia smiled wryly.

"I'm pregnant."


	2. Confessions

Damon groaned as he shut the door, slumping against it. The bag hit the floor with an audible thump as he tossed it and his coat aside and made his way into the living room where Julia was sat. She looked up and smiled, taking in her husband's face that was pink with cold.  
"Welcome home love," she said. "You must be exhausted, let me-"  
"No," he said as she made to stand. "Just take it easy." He wrapped his arms around her from behind, placing his cold hands on her warm, swollen abdomen. "You don't want to upset them." Julia sighed and pecked her husband on the cheek.  
"Less than a month now," she said distractedly. Damon's ears twitched; he heard the unease in her voice and he sighed heavily.  
"Julia... Look at me." She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with worry. "Don't worry about it. You'll be a wonderful mother and I'll always be here. You're not alone in this, okay?" Julia didn't reply, she just looked down and placed her hands on Damon's.

Eight months pregnant. Damon remembered how ecstatic he had been when Julia had first told him that they were expecting. For days on end, he just giddily imagined the day he and Julia would become parents. Fast forward to the first ultra-sound when they discovered, not just one, but two infants. Julia was having twins. When they got home, Julia had disappeared upstairs; Damon would have followed after, but he had to head to work down in the Kingdom of the Vale to work some more on the restoration. He figured that she was fine and was just getting over the shock of discovering she was having twins rather than one child.

Only when he got home that evening did he realise how wrong he had been. Gothitelle immediately swept down the stairs when he opened the front door. Concerned, Damon followed her to the bedroom and found Julia, sitting at the foot of the bed; an absolute wreck as she cried uncontrollably. Shocked and worried, Damon immediately pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair, which usually helped calm her down. Julia then poured her heart out: she was terrified to be a mother, from fear that she wouldn't be good enough. That she would ultimately fail. That, in the end, she wouldn't be any better than Giovanni. It was at that notion, Damon had to, regretfully, physically slap her around the face, just to snap her out of it.

The night ended up being Julia venting her fears and Damon trying his best to quell them, holding his love tightly and whispering his truth in her ear.  
That it would all be fine. That she would never be like Giovanni. That she would love her children no matter what and would do anything for them. And that he would be there, no matter what.  
Eventually she calmed down and seemed to settle down with the idea. She became content with the growing forms inside of her. Damon remembered though, when she first felt them move, she had gone back to being very scared and needed a great deal of comfort and time to adjust to the movement of the infants inside. Again, she became content with the situation and calmed again.

But now it seemed, with the due date so close now, that those old fears were stirring again and Julia was becoming more and more nervous. Damon sat beside her, letting her rest against him as he rubbed her stomach to sooth her gently. Julia leaned up and pressed her lips to Damon's jaw, making her husband lean down to nuzzle his head to hers.  
"Time to sleep, I should think," Damon whispered in her ear. "We won't get much when the boys are here."  
"Damon, for the last time," Julia sighed. "It could be girls."  
"Well let me have my hopes before they're crushed," he chuckled. "C'mon, I'll help you."

It was barely a week later that Julia went into labour. Damon found himself having his hand crushed by Julia as her contractions became stronger and, after over 12 hours of agonising pain, finally gave birth to their sons: Alex and Thomas Grangil. Damon felt the tears in his eyes as he held Al in his arms, whilst Julia cradled Tom carefully. He perched himself on the edge of the bed and smiled at Julia, who returned an exhausted smile.

"You know... It helps... Just holding them," she whispered tiredly. "I was so scared... And now, I don't know why." Damon leant forwards and placed his lips to hers.  
"Because you didn't know how it felt to be a mother before. The same way I didn't know how it would feel to be a father," he said thickly, rubbing his son's cheek. "I thought I'd be happy before... Now, I don't think I could have imagined it." Julia giggled, caressing her husband's face. "You did so well love."  
"I never would have gotten here without you," she replied quietly. "I'd never have gotten free of everything... I wouldn't be married. I wouldn't have children. It's all because of you... I have everything I could ever want."  
She sniffled and removed her hand from Damon's cheek to wipe her eyes. Damon shook his head.

"I'll be honest... If I didn't have you it would be the same for me." Julia stared at him curiously. "Before I met you, I only thought of fulfilling my mother's dream. I never tried to get a girlfriend; I never considered getting married or having children because I thought it'd distract me from my goal. But then you came along... And you changed my perspective on everything. It wasn't a distraction anymore... It was what I was missing, the thing I hadn't understood before. And..." He looked up and touched his forehead to Julia's, looking right into her eyes. "I never thanked you for that. You gave me everything I never knew that I didn't have."


	3. Promise?

Julia looked around at Damon, her hand reaching to his face before stopping, a bare inch from his cheek, before withdrawing. She didn't deserve him. He looked so innocent, lying there, completely in his own world at that moment. A world she didn't deserve to see. What was she thinking? Her problems were complex and dangerous; Julia couldn't bear the thought of dragging him down with her. She turned, looking out of the window. She could see the valley from here – the Kingdom of the Vale looked just as dead from here as it had when she had first seen it. But if one looked closer, it wasn't as barren as it had been before. And it was thanks to Damon. He had done whatever he had to, trying to help his people return home. Had it been the right way? No, but he had seen the error of his ways and found a new path, forging it with his own two hands. He was strong enough and Julia couldn't depend on that strength.

Slipping out of the bed, Julia silently scrounged for her clothes. He would hate her for this. But perhaps it was for the better. She loved him too much to see Giovanni take advantage of him. Hurt him. Just so he could have control of Julia. No, it was best to end it before it was too late. End it before it had become too deep. Dressed, Julia pressed her lips to Damon's temple once more, knowing she had to hurry or else she would never leave. She crept out of the room and down the stairs, holding back her tears which seemed to build with every step. The front door creaked slightly as Julia unlocked it, side stepping through the gap and re-locking it, dropping the key through the letter box. No note. That key would be all he needed to know.

What Julia hadn't anticipated was his coming after her.

* * *

"Going somewhere?" Julia's heart stopped before it sank. It would break them both, but it had to be so. For his own good. She turned slowly. Damon stood there, dressed in trackies and a light t-shirt, no doubt freezing at this time of night. His black and white hair was ruffled into a bed head and his eyes were firm.

"Damon, you have to understand. It's not easy for me, but I have to-"

"For my own good, I know. I figured," he said, throwing the key to her, before stepping forwards and embracing her. "And I've told you how many times? I don't care if being with you puts me in danger."

"Damon, please don't-"

"Don't what Julia?" He snapped angrily, grasping her arms and looking her dead in the eye.. "Don't fight for the woman I love? Don't stand up for her because she told me not to? I'm sorry Julia, but I can't do that." His hands cupped her face now, pulling it closer to him. "I love you Julia. I love you and I want to be with you. And no one will make me do otherwise, not even your father." Julia felt her built up tears well behind her eyelids, but she blinked them back fiercely.

"Promise me one thing then," she said quietly, but firmly. "One thing and I won't run off again."

"Anything."

"That you won't try to confront him. That you'll stay safe. For me," she added before he could protest. "Because I love you and the last thing I want is you getting hurt because of me."

* * *

For a moment they stood there in the bone-biting chill before Damon finally replied: "I can't promise that." Julia sighed. She had been expecting that answer, but his blue eyes, like deep pools, were filled with warmth and love and soon, she couldn't help but be taken in by them. She laid her lips to his and, for one perfect moment, they forgot the world. They had one of their own and no one else could enter. It was theirs and theirs alone as Julia felt Damon's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. After the moment expired, they pulled away and a look of understanding passed between their eyes.

He wasn't going to promise to never confront Giovanni. He couldn't promise he would remain safe – their relationship wouldn't remain a secret forever. But as they walked back to the house and Julia, redressed in her bed clothes, slipped back under the sheets with Damon and his arms wrapped around her, they knew there was one promise they would never break.

To see it through, together, right to the very end.


End file.
